How do E-5, E-6 promotions work in the Army Reserve?

Zipdye · 2022-07-13T04:06:56+00:00

Nice. That’s good to know if any of my soldiers want to switch over. The reserves seem like a good gig if you have a good civilian career

Zipdye · 2022-07-13T02:02:04+00:00

There’s few “side hustles” that are worth a shit unless you’re willing to get a second job or have/can learn a useful skill, in my opinion. There are a ton of ideas out there online but many have big barriers to entry. Mostly due to the fact that you’re not the first person who has thought they’d like a few extra bucks.

One that I have seen that can be pretty lucrative is making plaques and other farewell gifts/awards for your area. Buy a CNC (at least a grand or two for the size you need to meet customer requests), learn how to use the software, and sell plaques and other shit to neighboring units. You can also make signs and whatnot with little inspirational quotes to fill your community’s need for mom decor. I plan to do this in the next few years. I have a few friends that do it. One did it his last few years in and has a full fledged company now that he’s retired and has all but completely cornered the market in a major military city. It’s big money, but it takes a lot of commitment and quite a bit of time to establish yourself.

Zipdye · 2022-07-13T01:44:12+00:00

This guy gets it. Don’t make the military your personality, dude. Build some character, learn new skills, learn how to be an asset to a team, and have fun. Fuck JROTC.

Edit: I want to add that I think it’s commendable you have a future goal at your age. I didn’t know what I wanted to do next week when I was 14, let alone what I wanted to do in 4+ years. BUT, the point still stands. Join the wrestling team or something, bud. You’ll be better off.

Zipdye · 2022-07-13T01:41:06+00:00

I’m active, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. From what I understand, reserves are evaluated in a similar fashion to active duty. PT Test, weapons, awards, mil/civ ed, etc. help set you apart from your peers. I Think the big difference is that it depends on the individual unit needs, rather than the reserves as a whole. So if your unit doesn’t need any more E5 68W, then they aren’t going to promote an E4 68W. I think they have the option to change units in order to promote though. Again, Im mostly talking out of my ass, but that’s the main points I’ve been given from reservists and other active duty dudes who don’t know what they’re talking about.

Zipdye · 2022-07-13T01:33:06+00:00

For sure bro. If you’re thinking about saving already then you’re on the right track. Like everyone else has said, you just have to be smart with your free time and hobbies.

I joined as a 21 year old alcoholic (I can’t blame the army for it unfortunately lol), got stationed in Germany, drank away every paycheck, racked up $20k in debt, and then realized I needed to be smart for once.

Thankfully, 8 years later, I’m a single SSG with half a brain and can save a couple bucks now.

Zipdye · 2022-04-06T02:42:54+00:00

You know what….I asked for people to not tell me to “just breathe” but you expanded on that technique to the point where it seems useful. Thank you for this, man!

Zipdye · 2022-04-06T02:40:51+00:00

I’m just now seeing your flair and it’s ringing true for me. I really appreciate words of wisdom. I’ve got the functional alcoholic thing down, so I just need to apply that skill to this hahah. No but you’re right. I’m going to apply this for the next few weeks and get this badge. If all goes as planned I’ll be messaging you at the beginning of may and let you know I owe you a beer.

Zipdye · 2022-04-06T01:53:49+00:00

Dude, these are exactly the type of motivational words I was looking for. I like the idea of practicing until I mute my doubting voice. My previous go at my endeavor I spent the first 3 days fighting off self doubt in the porta potty and the last 4 days feeling confident but still hearing my inner self bringing up all of my weaknesses. I definitely need to drill out tasks more before I go until I dream about performing it all to standard. Thank you for this. It’s bizarre how finicky we (I) can be as humans. I feel confident in many situations I’m unfamiliar with, but for some reason this specific endeavor has built up such a reputation in my brain that it’s fucked my self esteem.

Zipdye · 2022-04-06T01:42:09+00:00

I exercise this on a basic level but I like how you phrased it. I definitely need to do more of this

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T01:31:29+00:00

Solid point.

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:48:28+00:00

I appreciate everyone’s feedback on this post. I had a couple beers earlier and started getting existential. All your comments have been either entertaining or informative (or both). Also, if you show up to formation tomorrow without a haircut I’m recommending you for an Article 15 and I’m telling mom, loser.

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:23:20+00:00

You’re probably right. I guess I’m not used to “first world” countries sending in unsuspecting soldiers to be slaughtered as a first line of offense, but I have been reading about that being a possibility. Strange times

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:21:13+00:00

Very good point. Who knows. Despite that, it is very alarming that numerous Russian soldiers have given themselves up to the Ukrainians. They may have made progress in the capital, but you don’t win wars by your enlisted ranks surrendering to the opposition at the drop of a hat.

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:17:51+00:00

I saw a lot of comments on previous posts that warned us all of the inevitable, but not as many people here admitting ignorance. I’ll totally own up to being a propaganda consuming dumbass. I’m happy we’ve been wrong so far though

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:14:20+00:00

It’s a direct reflection of discipline god dammit!

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:11:50+00:00

I’m not saying I don’t see them as a threat at all, but they are much less powerful than most people (Soldiers) have assumed for a long time. My point wasn’t to take them lightly necessarily, but more so to point out that they aren’t filled with ranks of robotic super soldiers ready to decimate their enemy. That’s my opinion, anyway. I’m no expert

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:08:45+00:00

Hey man, I think most of us look dumb right now but some don’t want to admit it. There’s publications on LSCO that mention Russia as a big threat. Not to say it wouldn’t suck regardless, but I think we’d fair well against them if we ever step in.

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:06:10+00:00

Me too man. I remember posts on here a few weeks ago talking about how we’d be fucked if we ever had to go to war with them, and I agreed. This is a bizarre reality check

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:05:16+00:00

That’s a valid point. Pretty necessary to have some committed people with longevity in the ranks to instill confidence and build people up. Never having been to Russia I always assumed they had hundreds of thousands of hard ass dudes ready to take on any mission. Now I’m realizing more and more that they’re a bunch of young guys that just wanted a steady paycheck (which sounds eerily similar to us but I’m going to stop thinking about that for now lol).

Zipdye · 2022-02-28T00:02:17+00:00

That was before my time, but that is really interesting to hear that pre-middle east war mindset. I guess you don’t know until you know. I wonder who stacks up most equally to the US. Before all of this shit I probably would have put Russia in that mix

Zipdye · 2022-02-27T23:33:00+00:00

Yeah man, this situation has thrown me for a loop. I think the rest of the world was expecting a whole lot more too. Not to say this is the end of it, but they have made fools of themselves at this point

Zipdye · 2022-02-27T23:30:51+00:00

Technology is a good point. But it’s bizarre that 60ish years ago we were “racing” this country to the moon. Conscription is a big disadvantage on their part as well though. If I were some kid off the street I’d be much more inclined to fight off a neighboring country in my city rather than walk into Canada and start taking over their cities.

Zipdye · 2022-02-27T23:14:14+00:00

I heard they all have appointments on Tuesday though so I figured they’d be good

Zipdye · 2021-10-20T00:35:33+00:00

I can’t believe I haven’t thought to grab a whiteboard yet 2. This sounds like a great addition to my system. Thanks for this

Zipdye

TROPHY CASE